The solid ink printing process has many advantages over traditional ink jet printing technology. Print speed, color gamut, water fastness, and media flexibility are but a few of the advantages for solid ink printing. Solid ink jet printing generally involves using a solid ink that is melted and jetted onto a transfer surface, and then fixed onto the media from the transfer surface. Because the ink is solid until melted, both the ink and the transfer surface need to be at relatively high temperatures compared to an ink jet printing process using liquid inks. Further, the ink must be kept in a molten state to overcome a relatively long warm-up and purge process that occurs if the ink is allowed to solidify.
Highly engineered mechanisms, set points, inks, and operating software are used to try to meet the combined requirements of fast warm up time, low power usage, and minimal ink cooking. Yet, as competing technologies progress, and companies thrive to improve customer satisfaction, there is increasing pressure to continue to reduce power requirements, reduce warm-up times, and meet all environmental and energy saving programs.